500 °F to °C

About 500 °F in °C

500 °F is 260.0 °C. The formula is (F − 32) × 5/9: 500 − 32 = 468, then 468 × 5 ÷ 9 = 260.0. Celsius and Fahrenheit cross at − 40, not at zero, which is why the subtraction comes first.

Fan ovens run about 20 °C cooler than the temperature written on a conventional recipe, so a 500 °F instruction becomes 240 °C on a fan setting. If your oven only has round numbers, choose the nearest (260 °C) and adjust the time by about 10%.

A 500 °F oven is in the very hot band — roughly gas mark 8-9. That matters more than the exact degree: a 10 °C error changes a sponge by a couple of minutes, while the wrong band changes whether the outside browns before the middle sets.

Gas marks are a third scale in the same kitchen: 500 °F, 260 °C and a gas mark all describe one oven heat, and British recipes still print two of the three side by side. Converting 500 °F to 260 °C and then to a fan setting of 240 °C keeps the recipe's intent even when your oven runs a little hot.

Recipe apps often write the question as 500 f to c rather than with degree symbols, and the answer is the same: 260.0 c. Rounded to 260 c, that is what most oven dials can actually be set to.

How the calculation works

• (500 °F − 32) × 5/9 = 260.0 °C
• Fan oven: 260.0 − 20 = 240.0 °C
• Reverse: (260.0 °C × 9/5) + 32 = 500 °F

Reference values

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